Car Accident Lawyer: Maximizing Your Claims

Law Blog

If you've recently been involved in a serious car accident, the accident has probably done more than just put a dent in your bumper. From medical expenses to insurance hassles to car repair quotes, maximizing the value of your claim can help you move past everything that can come with an auto accident.

Here's some advice experienced car accident lawyers often give their clients.

Medical Damages

When clients are involved in an auto accident, often their natural inclination is to fix the most immediate and obvious damages they see or feel. Although this desire is natural and can provide an immediate sense of relief, it can also inhibit them from seeking the total medical claims they need to fully recover from the accident.

• Longterm Treatment: Whiplash is one of the most common injuries suffered in an auto accident. Common treatments for whiplash include massage, chiropractic adjustments, and physical therapy. Unfortunately, whiplash can't be treated in a single visit. If you're lucky, recovering from whiplash might take around 6 weeks. If you're unlucky, however, your whiplash symptoms might never completely go away, requiring physical therapy or frequent visits to your chiropractor for the rest of your life. The best auto accident attorneys can help you file claims with the insurance companies involved in your accident to ensure that you have the funds to receive the long-term health care you might need.
• Diminished Earning Power: The physical trauma you might have suffered in a severe auto accident can drastically alter your physical capabilities. For instance, if your job requires physical strength and endurance, you might not be able to perform at work as you had before. This can permanently alter how much money you can command in the labor market. Your auto accident attorney can help you build a claim that accounts for any income you lost immediately after the accident and also the income you might lose in the future.

Automotive Damages

Getting your vehicle repaired can mean the difference between living your life as you had before and struggling to keep up with your busy schedule. Because many clients feel a sense of urgency to get the car fixed and move on, they often don't seek the automotive damages they likely deserve.

• Total Value: Fixing a damaged vehicle doesn't always restore its pre-accident value. Because an incident report will forever follow around a vehicle that's been involved in an auto accident, it's value will never be the same. This is particularly important if you still owe money on the vehicle. After an accident, you might now owe more money than the vehicle is actually worth. Thus, even if the vehicle is repaired, you might be stuck in a financial conundrum that isn't your fault. Experienced auto accident attorneys can help you assess the damage to your vehicle and the overall impact the accident will have on its value. If the impact renders the vehicle a financial burden, your attorney can help you file a claim that compensates you for both the immediate and long-term damages your vehicle sustained in the accident.

Legal Damages

Serious auto accidents often necessitate a serious amount of billable legal hours to settle. The burden of paying for these hours is often settled in the form of a percentage of the settlement check your attorney is able to negotiate on your behalf. However, some of the most experienced auto accident attorneys can help offset some of their legal fees by seeking adjustments from all the insurance companies involved with your accident. For instance, when negotiating with a health insurance company, your attorney can often get the company to pay for a portion of the time they spend negotiating on your behalf.

For more information, contact a car accident attorney today.

9 June 2020